It is 8:34pm Thursday, September 3rd. I don’t typically sit down to write my weekly newsletter the day before its release, especially this late at night. This past week I’ve been working through a cold that has gotten zero respect from me but despite my attempts to ignore it has zapped my extra energy. This is the best I can do right now.
There were other things I meant to do this week that didn’t get done. The younger, less-wise version of me would have gotten bent out of shape about this. But I’ve learned that it’s all wasted energy. Being consistent in my efforts has rid me of the need to be so intense and allows me to slow down when I need to.
When these weeks of slower progress emerge or I find myself frustrated by my lack of progress I always return to the passage below. I wrote it a few years ago and it sits in a note on my phone as a reminder how useless my frustration can be. Sharing it in hopes that if you find yourself at the end of a less-than-ideal week it will help you live in acceptance with a renewed sense of purpose next week.
“Frustration is the chemical response you feel when your expectations collide with reality. No one is immune to it, and if you’re going to achieve anything of any consequence you must learn to deal with the temporary frustration of not making progress.
The frustration you feel is your attempt to enforce a contract with reality that it never agreed to. You have no authority over reality. You have no leverage. The relationship you have with reality isn’t one of negotiation. It won’t negotiate with you. The relationship you have is one of navigation.
Reality will allow you to navigate yourself through it, but it doesn’t grant you safe passage or quite give a shit about your feelings. The question isn’t “How do I manage my frustration?” It’s “Why are you surprised by it?”
Stay in the process. The process is everything. Look for marginal improvements. Remind yourself of how far you’ve come. Sometimes the only way to keep moving forward is to look back and remember how far you’ve come. Keep going.“
live freed,
Jordan
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